As I read the small prophetic book of Obadiah this evening, I was reminded of the verses Paul uses in Romans as a valuable lesson about the grace of God. "Jacob I Loved, but Esau I hated" (Romans 9:13) Obadiah's vision from the Lord seems all too familiar as we consider again the relationship and fortunes of these two brothers...
Sometimes when you first read a book, Scripture or otherwise, the initial impression you come away with is not always the best sense of the work. I have had student friends tell me they read a book two or three times before starting their "book review". Well lucky for them, they have more time than I do! But I agree, the point is that a better understanding of God's word requires meditation, this process takes time and revisiting a text the second time is usually more helpful than the first. Such was my recent experience in thinking about the message of the prophet Amos...
